CHANCELLOR George Osborne’s plans for a Great British sell-off of profitable public companies will cost taxpayers over £7 billion, experts warned today. 

The Land Registry, National Air Traffic Services, the Ordnance Survey and Channel 4 have all been earmarked for complete or part privatisation to score a quick fix of cash for the Treasury and shave the national debt.

But a study by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) warned for campaign group We Own It warns that the short-term gains will be eclipsed by huge losses in future profits.